l problems fit into
the big picture? Is this making a better world, or isn't it?"

"It's making a political machine that can't be defeated."

"Think not? What makes you think it can't?"

"Pedagogue!" said James.

"Yeowwww!"

The judge whirled to look at Brennan. "What was--that?" asked the judge.

James explained what had happened, then: "I've mentioned hazards. This is
what would happen if a fuse blew in the middle of a course. Maybe he can
be trained out of it, and maybe not. You'll have to try, of course. But
think of what would happen if you and your political machine put these
things into schools and fixed them to make a voltage twitch or something
while the student was reading the word 'republican'. You'd end up with a
single-party system."

"And get myself assassinated by a group of righteously irate citizens,"
said Judge Carter. "Which I would very warmly deserve. On the other hand,
suppose we 'treated' people to feel anguish at thoughts of murder or
killing, theft, treason, and other forms of human deviltry?"

"Now that might be a fine idea."

"It would not," said Judge Carter flatly. James Holden's eyes widened,
and he started to say something but the judge held up his hand, fingers
outspread, and began to tick off his points finger by finger as he went
on: "Where would we be in the case of enemy attack? Could our policemen
aim their guns at a vicious criminal if they were conditioned against
killing? Could our butchers operate; must our housewives live among a
horde of flies? Theft? Well, it's harder to justify, James, but it would
change the game of baseball as in 'stealing a base' or it would ruin the
game of love as in 'stealing a kiss'. It would ruin the mystery-story
field for millions of people who really haven't any inclination to go out
and rob, steal, or kill. Treason? Our very revered Declaration of
Independence is an article of Treason in the eyes of King George Third;
it wouldn't be very hard to draw a charge of treason against a man who
complained about the way the Government is being run. Now, one more
angle, James. The threat or fear of punishment hasn't deterred any
potential felon so far as anybody knows. And I hold the odd belief that
if we removed the quart of mixed felony, chicanery, falsehood, and
underhandedness from the human makeup, on that day the human race could
step down to take its place alongside of the cow, just one step ahead of
the worm.

"Now you accuse me of hold